Folding box



- Sept; 19, 1950 c. I. ELLIOTT El AL FOLDING BOX Filed April 9, 1947 Fig. l

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' INVENTORS 2W Q- Paw-tam Chum =3 M um M M M ATTORNEY$ P 1950 c. l. ELLIOTT EI'AL 2,523,246

' FOLDING Box Filed April 9, 1947 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 alt ATTORNEY P 1950 c. I. ELLIOTT ETAL 2,523,246

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Fig/0 INVENTORS M uMM4-wm M ATTORNEYS Patented Sept. 19, 1950 .FOLDING BOX Charles 1. Elliott, Sea Girt, N. 1., and Vincent R. Pantalone, Hamden, Conn., assignors to National Folding Box Company, Inc., New Haven, Conn., a corporation of Connecticut Application April 9, 1947, Serial No. 740,322

2 Claims. (Cl. 22938) This invention relates to folding boxes and provides an improved end closure which may be adhesively sealed, may be easily opened without defacing the box, and then be reclosed after the adhesive seal is broken.

The invention may be applied with particular advantage to folding boxes requiring a tight seal, for example, boxes for the packaging of sterile cotton and bandages. Such boxes must exclude dust or other foreign particles under relatively severe conditions. Folding boxes containing cotton and bandages are often stored for relatively long periods of time, are frequently handled and are otherwise subjected to particularly unfavorable conditions. Occasionally, for example, such cartons form part of first aid equipment which is either carried about or kept in a vehicle where the boxes are subject to vibration, jarring, and other forms of physical action which causes the carton to breathe in bellows fashion whereby entrance of foreign particles is promoted unless a tight seal is provided.

The invention provides a tight carton or box end closure which is particularly suited for folding boxes subjected to such severe conditions. The invention, however, is not limited to boxes for any specific use, but may, with similar advantage, be employed wherever the features ofthe invention may be used.

The various objects, features and advantages of this invention will appear more fully from the detailed description which follows accompanied by drawings showing, for the purpose of illustration, preferred embodiments of the invention. The invention also consist in certain new and original features of construction and combination of elements hereinafter set forth and claimed.

Although the characteristic features of the invention which are believed to be novel will be particularly pointed out in the claims appended hereto, the invention itself, its objects and advantages, and the manner in which it may be carried out may be better understood by referring to the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings forming a part of it in which:

Figure 1 is a plan view showing the inside surface of a blank from which a carton embodying the invention may be formed;

Figure 2 shows the blank of Figure 1 after initial folding and gluing operations resulting in a collapsed, flat, tubular structure;

Figure 3 is a perspective view-of an end portion of the blank of Figure 2 after squaring to produce a hollow shell;

Figure 4 is a perspective view, won an enlarged scale, of the end structure of Figure 3 in the process of closing and sealing;

Figure 5 is a perspective view of the closed and sealed carton end;

Figure 6 is a sectional view of the carton end of Figure 5, a section being taken on line 6-6 of Figure 5;

Figure 7 is a plan view of a modified form of blank;

Figure 8 is a side view of an end closure formed from the blank of Figure '1, the end closure being shown in the process of closing;

Figure 9 is .a side view of a carton end showing the completed closure; and

Figure 10 is a side view of a modified form of carton end closure resulting in a gable type top.

In the following description and in the claims, various details will be identified by specific names for convenience. The names, however, are intended to be as generic in their application as the art will permit. Like reference characters refer to like parts in the several figures of the drawings.

In the drawings accompanying, and forming part of, this specification, certain specific dis-' closure of the invention is made for the purpose of explantion of broader aspects of the invention, but it is understood that the details may be modified inwarious respects without departure from the principles of the invention and that the invention may be applied to other structures than the ones shown.

The blank shown in Figure 1 is of substantially rectangular outline resulting in a minimum of waste of material and permitting convenient stripping of cut portions. The blank may be cut and scored from a large sheet or roll of paperboard or other suitable foldable sheet material on automatic cutting and creasing machines. Only one side of the blank need be decoratively finished or imprinted, since only one surface of the blank is presented as the outside surface'of the folding box.

The blank A comprises a body portion II and end closure portions II. The body portion is formed by body wall panels l3, l4, l5, and I6 hingedly connected along side fold lines l1, l8, and I9, respectively. A terminal glue fiap 20 is hingedly connected to the body wall panel it along a side fold line'2l. The body wall panels l4 and It may be considered side wall panels and one of the panels i3 and I5 may be considered the front wall paneland the other the back wall panel.

End panels 22 and 28 are hingedly connected .the end panel 22 into a mainportion and a marginal portion 28. A similar fold line 29 subdivides the, end panel 23 into a main portion and a marginal portion 30, the marginal portion being subdivided by a further fold line 3| into portions 32 and 33. e

The base-of the'triangular side panel 25 is connected. to the body wall panel 14 along the end fold line 24. Two bellows panels 34 and 35 are 25 along fold lines 36 and 31 forming the sides of the triangular side panel 25. The bellows panels 34 and 35 extend in length beyond the apex 38 ofthe triangle 24-35-31 and provide terminal tab portions 39 and, respectively.

The bottom end structure of the blank A corresponds to the top end structure and comprises, briefly, end panels 48 and 43 hingedly connected to the body walls l3 and I along an end fold line 50. Fold lines 5| and 52 subdivide the end panels 48 and 49 into main portions and marginal portions 53 and 54. respectively. The marginal portion 53 is subdivided by a further fold line 55 into portions 55 and 51. Triangular side panels 58 and 59 are hingedly connected to the body wall panels I4 and I5 along the end fold line 50. Bellows panels 55 and 5| are hingedly connected to the side panel il-along fold lines 62 and 63. Terminal tab portions 64 and 65 of the bellows panels 50 and 5| extend beyond the apex B6 of the triangle 55-52-53. Bellows panels 61 and 68 are hingedly connected to the side panel 59 along fold lines 53 and Ill. Terminal tab portions H and I2 extend beyond the apex 66'. a

The marginal portion 53 of the end panel 48 is severed from the terminal tab portion 64 by a cut extending to the fold line 5|, whereas the cuts separating the marginal portion 54 from the bellows panels BI and 68 are relatively short and terminate at points 13 and I3 close to the outer edge of the and panel 43.

The blank A may be into box form by steps or operations which are as follows:

For automatic assembly of the blank A into hollow, tubular form, the blank may be moved in the direction of the arrow 14 through an automatic gluing and folding machine. As the blank travels through the machine. adhesive a.

is appliedto the underside of the terminal glue fiap 20 and the blank is then folded about the side fold line ill to bring the body wall panel l8 face-to-face with the body wall panel l5. Thereafter, or substantially simultaneously, the blank 15 further folded about the side fold line H to bring the body wall panel l3 face-to-face with the body wall panel l4, and to bring the panels :3, 22, and 48 into adhesive engagement with the glue flap 20. The blank thus becomes a tubular flat structure A as shown in Figure 2.

The glued and folded blank A may be stored and shipped in flat condition requiring a minimum of space and may be expanded and completed into hollow box form by the manufacturer or packer of the merchandise, when needed.

The expanding and setting up ofthe box proceeds as follows:

The blank A is first squared, as shown in Fig- 4 ure 3. and the end panel assembly is then folded into carton closing position, adhesive 0. having been applied to panel portion 33. The triangular side panels 25 and 25 are first infolded about the ends of fold line 24. whereby, simultaneously, the stock is creased along the fold lines 36-31 and 44-45 forming the sides of the triangular side panels. Since the end panels 22 and 23 are connected with the triangular side panels 25 and 26 through the respective bellows panels 34, 35, 42, and 43, the end panels likewise move towards carton closing position about the end fold line 24. This folding operating brings the terminal tab portions 45 and 39 face-to-face with the inner surface of the marginal portion 28 of the end panel 22. The'marginal portion 28 of the end panel 22 and the terminal tab portion 43 and 39 are then inserted into the space between the bellows panels and 43, as is visible in part in Figure 4.

Pressure against the end structure of Figure 4 causes the panels to move into fully closed position as shown in Figures 5 and 6.

After completion of one end of thefolding box. the box may be filled and the opposite end be closed in the same manner. Inasmuch as the two end structures are identical, the steps of forming the second closure need not be separately described.

The sealed folding box may be conveniently opened by severing the glued connection between the panel portion 33 and the end panel 22 by lifting up the panel portion 32 and pulling it away from the panel 33. This causes the glue joint to break and the end closure to open. Breaking of the glue joint causes the surfaces-oi the connected panels to tear without materially weakening the end panels. Therefore, the folding box may be reclosed in the same manner as hereinbefore described with the exception that no adhesive need be appliedto the panels since the box will remain in closed position byv frictional engagement of the several panels of the end structure.

The seal of the box is a rather tight one since the end panel 22 with the underlying bellows panels 34 and 42 fits snugly into the space or pocket formed by the opposite end panel 23 and the bellows panels 35 and 43. The bellows structure formed by the triangular side panels and the bellows panels hinged thereto prevent sifting along the side edges of the end closure, whereas the tight fit between the telescoped end panels and the adhesive seal therebetween prevents sift ing along the surfaces of the end panels. After severance 'of the glue joint and reclosure of the carton, a substantially tight seal is still provided by the tight telescoping fit between the panels which, as is easily apparent from Figure 6, forms a labyrinth-like seal.

The blank B shown in Figure 7 comprises body wall panels 15, 16, I1, and 18 hingedly connected along side fold lines I9, 80, and 8!, respectively. A terminal glue flap 82 is hingedlyconnected to the body wall panel 18 along a side fold line 83. The body wall panels 16 and 18 may be considered side wall panels. One of the panels 15 and 11 may be considered a front wall panel, and the other a back wall panel. End panels 84 and 85 are hingedly connected to the body wall panels 15 and TI along an end fold line 86, and triangular side panels 81 and 88 are hingedly connected to the body wall panels 18 and 18 along the end fold line 86. A fold line extends across the end panel 84 substantially parallel to the end fold line 5 86 and subdivides the end panel 84 into a main portion and a marginal portion 90. The marginal portion 90 is subdivided by a further fold line 9| into portions 92 and 93. A similar fold line 94 subdivides the end panel 85 into a main portion and a marginal portion 95.

The base of the triangular side panel 81 is connected to the body wall panel I6 along the end fold line 86. Two bellows panels 96 and 91 are hingedly connected to the triangular side panel 81 along fold lines 98 and 99 forming the sides.

of the triangular panel 81. The bellows panel 86 extends in length beyond the apex I of the triangle 86--9899, and provides a protruding terminal tab portion IOI.

Similar bellows panels I02 and I03 are hingedly connected to the sides of the triangular side panel 38 along fold lines I04 and I05. The bellows panel I02 extends beyond the apex I00 of the triangle 86I04I05 and provides a protruding tab portion I06.

The opposite end structure of the blank B corresponds to the end structure just described and comprises, briefly, end panels I01, I08 hingedly connected to the body walls 15 and 1! along an end fold line I09. Fold lines [I0 and III subdivide the end panels I01 and I08 into main portions and marginal portions I I2 and H3, respectively. The marginal portion H3 is subdivided by a further fold line II4 into portions H5 and H6. Triangular side panels Ill and H8 are hingedly connected to the body wall panels I6 and I8 along the end fold line I09. Bellows panels H9 and I20 are hingedly connected to the side panel II8 along fold lines I2I and H2. A terminal tab portion I23 of the bellows panel I20 extends beyond the apex I24 of the triangle I09- I2I--I22. Similar bellows panels I25 and I26 are hingedly connected to the side panel II8 along fold lines I21 and I28. A terminal tab-portion I29 of the bellows panel I26 extends beyond the apex I24 of the triangle I09I2II28.

The blank B may be assembled into box form by steps or operations which are as follows:

Adhesive a is first applied to the under side of the terminal glue fiap 82 as shown in Figure '7, and the blank is then folded about side fold lines 8| and I9 whereby the wall panels I5, 84 and I01 are brought into adhesive engagement with the glue flap 82. The blank B thus becomes a flat tubular structure similar to the blank A shown in Figure 2.

The collapsed, fiat, tubular blank may then be squared as hereinbefore described in connection with blank A. The squared blank is ready for folding of the end panel assemblies into carton closing position.

In order to close the carton, the triangular end panels 81 and 88 are infolded about the end fold line 86 causing the respective bellows panels 96,

. 6 I exaggerated with respect to the center portion of the closure to which the lead line of reference I06 points. The edges of the carton panels are shown slightly spaced at this point for the pur- 91 and I02, I03 to fold about the respective fold lines 98, 99 and I04, I05. The protruding tab portions IM and I06 are inserted into the space between the opposed end panel 85 and the bellows panels 91 and I03 hinged thereto. The marginal portion 95 of the end panel 85 is inserted into the space between the end panel 84 and the bellows panels 96 and I02 folded underneath the end panel 84.

Adhesive may be applied to the under surface of the panel portion 93 or to the top surface of the end panel 85 coming in contact therewith.

Figure 8 shows the end panel assembly of the blank B in the process of closing. Figure 9 shows the end of the closed carton. Figure 9 is slightly pose of illustrating the position of the panels with respect to each other. In actual practice, however, the panels are so dimensioned that a butt 'tight closure is formed at the center. Preferably the abutting portions'exert light pressure upon each other in order to maintain a tight seal at this point.

The carton is adhesively sealed along a strip b underlying the panel portion 93. Panel portion 92 is not adhesively secured to the underlying end panel 85 and presents a flap of a length 0 at which the end closure may be grasped for a convenient opening.

Sifting into and out of the box of Figure 9 is eifectively prevented along the sides by the bellows formation and across the face of the end panel by thepverlap, in labyrinth fashion, of the panels and the adhesive seal.

The hereinbefore described end structures form a fiat end closure. It is, however, possible to form a gable top closure embodying the same principles and offering the same features by making the combined length of the two end panels greater than the length of the base of the triangular side panels over which they are folded. Figure 10 illustrates a gable top closure in which end panels I30 and I3l form a gable top over the triangular side panels, one of which is visible at I32. The triangular side panel I32 has a base I33 which is shorter than the combined length of the end panels measured from the base I33 to the peak I34 of the closure. The end panel I30 has an end flap I35'folded over and secured to the end panel I3I. The opposite end panel I3I has a similar end flap I36 underlying the end panel I30. In all other respects, the structure of the gable top closure corresponds to that of boxes made from blanks A or B and the procedure of assembly being the same. Figure 10 is likewise exaggerated in showing the panels slightly spaced at the peak I34 in order to show the relative position of the several flaps and panels more clearly. In the actual construction of the box, a tight butt joint is formed at the peak I34.

It is, for example, not necessary to make both end closures of the folding box identical. The bottom closure of the box may be of any convenient or conventional construction and may be sealed tightly in any of various conventional manners. The tight sealing of folding box bottoms presents no difficulty since the boxes may be sealed over a mandrel.

In distinction, tight sealing of the folding box top after filling of the box presents considerable difliculty since the carton end panels cannot be subjected to pressure from opposite sides since the box contents generally do not offer suflicient resistance to the sealing pressure.

Thus additions, omissions, substitutions, modifications and various other changes may be made without departing from the spirit and essence of this invention.

7 What is claimed is: Y 1. An end closure for a folding oartonhaving dour. enclosing body walls hingedly connected along side fold lines, the end closurecomprising, two", end panels hingedly connected to two opposed body walls along end told lines; two triangular side panels hinged with their bases to the r a remaining two opposed body walls along end fold panel having a tab portion extending beyond the apex of the side panels, the tab portion being insertable between the opposite end panel and the respective bellows panels hinged to the opposite end panel, said end panels having fold lines extending across them substantially parallel to said end fold lines subdividing the end panels into a main portion of approximately one-half of the area of the end closure and into a marginal portion, the marginal portion of one end panel being insertable below the other end panel and the marginal portion of the other end panel being subdivided into an outer finger operable tear tab portion and an inner portion adhesively secur- "posed body walls along end fold lines, the-two end panels being adapted to be folded one over the other; two triangular side panels hinged with their bases to the remaining two opposed body walls along end fold lines; and four bellows panels hingedly connected to the sides of the end panels and the side of l the triangular side panels, the said bellows panels having tab portions extending in length beyond the apex of the side panels, the said end panels having fold lines extending across them substantially parallel to said end fold lines subdividing the end panels into a main portion of approximately one half of the area of the end closure and into a marginal portion, the marginal portion of one end panel and the tab portion of the bellows panels hinged thereto being insertable into the space between the other end panel and the tab portions of the bellows panels I hinged thereto. the marginal portion of the other REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the flle of this patent:

FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 22,313 Great Britain Oct. 10, 1911 114,095 Australia Oct. 22, 1941 

